


I'll Let It Happen

by malechunters



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Awkward Magnus, M/M, Protective Alec, Sexy Times, Single Parents, Teacher Magnus, alec the office worker, au alec but with normal alec's personality, au magnus but with normal magnus' looks, older Alec, there will probably be sex be warned, younger magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-14
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-02 04:52:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6551806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malechunters/pseuds/malechunters
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec had yet to completely master being a single dad, but just as he was working it out, Magnus comes along, and turns everything in Alec's life upside down.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. ...When I Meet You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "When I meet you,  
> you'll be awkward and closed.   
> The pink in your hair  
> and the colours of your clothes  
> being the most vibrant parts about you.  
> You'll do the right stuff  
> and say the right things  
> but my life won't have changed that much."  
> -anonymous

For Alec, and he assumed for most people, life was an endless cycle. But really, his cycle was more of a square-cle. Every once in a while he'd hit a bump in the road and his life would mess up. Now that he thought about it, maybe it was a decagon-cle.

At 6 a.m. every morning, his alarm clock would go off, as would the baby monitor, as it seemed that Max had bat-ears and could hear everything, even though he was across the hall and behind two doors.

Alec did not even get a chance to stand up before he could hear Rafael singing his breakfast song, and Max would still be crying, tormented even more by his brothers singing.

He stumbled out of bed, his trouser pants falling off of his hips and his shirt somehow inside out (even though he swore he'd put it on the right way the night before?), but even that he wouldn't get a chance to rectify it as, within a minute of his alarm waking him up, he'd have Max in one arm and Rafael in the other and Rafael would still be singing his breakfast song until Alec had actually placed the bowl in front of him, and he'd eaten every last spoonful, and also until Max had finished his breakfast, which never went well as Max always cried when his brother sang, and when he cried he refused eat.

Alec then would put them back in their bedroom, and run to his room to get changed. He stared at himself in the mirror for half a second, and then ran his hands through his hair, in attempt to squash the curls that were teamed with his greatest enemy- bed head- and then resort to his gel like he knew he would.

When he looked somewhat presentable, he ran back to Rafael and Max, with Max still crying and Rafael going for a, for once, relatively painless rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

"Beautiful singing Rafe," Alec praised his son, who beamed up at him from his cradle. "Now- pirate or astronauts?" He asked his son, as he pulled two shirts out of the closet.

"Pi'te! Pi'te!" Max piped up from his cradle. Pirate was the only word he had ever attempted to say out loud, as he had an obsession with them, even though he was barely a year old.

"Pirate!" Rafael agreed, and so Alec put the astronaut t-shirt back in the closet.

Once both Max and Rafael were dressed, and Alec had shoved everything he needed into his bag, they left, Max calmly seated in Alec's arms with a pacifier in his mouth, and Rafael toddling along the sidewalk in front of them.

A couple blocks away from their apartment was the daycare that Rafe and Max went to while Alec was at work. It wasn't ideal- Alec hated leaving them every morning- but there was no where else he could take them. He hated asking his parents to spend their days looking after their grandkids, and Izzy and Simon worked too. The daycare was his best option.

Like Alec had decided that morning, his life was a decagon-cle. Bump after bump after bump after bump. Not only had Max dropped his pacifier on the sidewalk, and Rafe had tripped over on an even part of the road, but when he pressed the buzzer for the daycare, he was told that it was closed for the day.

"Closed?" Alec repeated, his voice going almost unnaturally high, due to the shock of the situation.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," the buzzer replied, and Alec felt as if his Monday morning could not have gone any worse. He grabbed Rafe's hand, and decided that Jace and Clary, who lived a couple of blocks away, could not say no to two adorable children and one adorable and hopeless father.

As he started to walk away, he heard the buzzer crackle, and then someone was shouting through it. "Hey, you, don't go! I'm sorry- I see you Mr. Businessman- it was a prank- come in, we're open."

Alec took a deep breath, and turned back around. He felt the need to punch whoever had played that joke on him. But he was glad that they'd actually told him it was a joke before he'd been able to walk away.

As they walked in, the familiar sound of babies crying filled the room, which, unsurprisingly set Max off, and almost set Alec off too. The man, who Alec guessed was the one who'd buzzed him in, came running over, his hands going straight for Max and lifting him out of Alec's hold.

Alec responded like any worried parent would and attempted to take his son back, but the man was already walking away, bouncing Max up and down, singing softly to him, which, shockingly, made Max calm down immediately.

"How did you do that?" Alec asked, genuinely impressed by this mans talents.

The man turned around, and practically beamed at Alec. Though the entry to the daycare was decorated in bright colours to entertain the kids, this man was most definitely the brightest thing in the room. He also had hot pink highlights in his hair, and yet, Alec, who did not understand why on earth people would actually dye their hair bright colours, was wondering why and how it suited this guy so much.

"I think I'm the baby whisperer," The guy replied, and, still bouncing Max up and down, walked back over to Alec. "I'm sorry about before. I didn't think you'd actually believe me."

"It's alright," Alec smiled slightly. He'd threatened- in his own head-to punch this man before, but now he felt as if he'd be punching a rainbow, which he was sure he could not do.

The man looked up from Max at Alec, and beamed at him again. "I'm Magnus. I only started working here today. Which means I will probably get fired by the end of the day."

Alec could not help but chuckle. "I'm sure you will not. Max seems to like you," He leant down to pick Rafe up. "I'm Alec. This is Rafael."

Rafael, to new people, was very shy, so buried his head in his dad's shoulder. Magnus giggled a little. "Hey, Rafael, I like your t-shirt. Pirates are cool."

Rafael looked back up at Magnus, but put his head back where he'd picked it up from a moment later. In response to the conversation about pirates, Max chirped up, and started resonating the word pirate over and over again, making Magnus laugh. "You like pirates, huh?" Max nodded, and Alec smiled fondly at his son.

Alec then checked his watch, to see that it was almost half past eight, and it took him at least forty-five minutes to get from the daycare to his work, and he had to be in at nine of his boss would dock his pay, and-

"Listen, I gotta go," Alec said, and Magnus looked up at him, all wide-eyed and intrigued.

"Work?" Magnus asked, and Alec nodded.

"Supposed to be there at nine, so God knows I'm not getting paid the first hour." Alec kissed Rafe's forehead, and then put him down on the floor.

Magnus frowned. "Huh. I'm sorry. Well, have a good day Alec- I mean Mister..."

"Lightwood, but, please, Alec is fine," Alec then leaned across and kissed Max's forehead.

"Okay, have a good day at work!" Magnus smiled, and Alec flashed a quick smile back, before turning and going to walk away.

"Wave goodbye to daddy!" Magnus said, and then he frowned, even though Rafe and Max were waving at Alec. "I mean- _I'm_ not calling you daddy!" Magnus called after Alec, making Alec laugh.

"Bye!" Alec replied, and left the daycare to go to work.

* * *

His work day was long and boring. When Alec arrived, his was immediately scolded by Valentine Morgenstern for being late. He had been dragged into his office, and Alec stood there, trying to block out the shouting, and couldn't stop himself from thinking back to Magnus.  
  
The only words that registered with Alec were "Simon", "never", "this" and "late", and also the entire sentence "get it together, boy. I'm sure your wife left you because you're so weak" which he supposed was Valentine's best efforts at upsetting him. Of course, it worked, but over the past few months, he'd learnt to not show too many emotions.  
  
He went back into his office, where he knew one person- namely Simon Lewis, his future brother-in-law- but even Simon wasn't permanent in the office. He was the main brains behind the IT crew, and so he was running around the building nonstop, but Alec's floor was where he was based, so they tended to have lunch together when Simon wasn't dishing out USB sticks to everyone who asked for one.  
  
Simon was late a lot to work, because he ran Izzy to work most mornings, and in Simon's life the most important thing was Izzy. If she was on time for work then he wasn't bothered if he just didn't go in at all. Alec, thinking about it, didn't know whether that was really because he was hopelessly in love with Izzy, or because he just didn't want to go to work.  
  
Alec assumed the answer to that was a bit of both.  
  
When the day was finally over, he left as quick as he possibly could, following behind Simon who offered to drop him off at the daycare to pick Rafael and Max up. Simon claimed it was on the way to the tease arch department that Izzy worked at, but Alec supposed to was just Simon trying to get into his good books before he married his sister.  
  
"Hey, say hello to the nephews for me!" Simon called out of the car as Alec got out. Alec smiled slightly.  
  
"See you later, Simon," he waved as Simon drove off, looking quite pleased with himself. Alec shook his head at Simon, wondering why on earth Izzy had to marry such a nerd. Izzy was quite nerdy too, but Simon...well, Simon was King of Nerds. It wasn't that he didn't like Simon. He did, really, quite a bit. The guy was nice and loved his sister, so he couldn't really ask for anything else. He was just...weird. Really weird, sometimes.  
  
Alec buzzed the door of the daycare, and he was let in, only this time not by Magnus. It was the usual woman, who smiled at him as he walked in, and let him into the main part of the building.  
  
He saw Magnus sitting with Rafael, who was happily clicking building bricks together, putting each one on, one at a time, and Magnus was handing each brick to him.  
  
Magnus didn't even notice Alec until he walked over, and crouched down next to Rafael. "Daddy!" Rafael grinned, and practically threw himself into Alec's arms. Alec laughed, and picked his son up, standing up with him.  
  
"Hey Rafe," Alec said, and kissed Rafael on the side of the head. Magnus stood up as well, placing the bricks he was holding nearly on the floor. "What have you been doing today?"  
  
"Building!" Rafael told him. "Magnus helped me!"  
  
"Ah," Alec smiled at Rafael and then looked at Magnus, but was still speaking to his son. "Did you learn anything?"  
  
"We were learning about animals," Magnus informed him. "He's really good at impersonating a cow."  
  
In response, Rafael mooed loudly, making both Alec and Magnus laugh.  
  
"Brilliant," Alec smiled, making Rafael smile too.  
  
"Hey, I'll go grab Max. He was just napping." Magnus said, and then walked away to go and get Max.  
  
When he came back, Max was clinging to Magnus, and looked relatively upset.  
  
"C'mon Maxxy, your daddy's here," Magnus was bouncing Max, who still looked quite upset.  
  
Alec put Rafael on the ground, and took Max off of Magnus. Instantly, Max started crying, which earned Alec some dirty looks from some of the moms that were in the room, also picking their kids up.  
  
Rafael tugged on the fabric of Alec's trousers. "He wants Magnus."  
  
Alec frowned, bouncing Max for a few moments, like Magnus had done earlier in the day to stop him crying. When Max started reaching out, trying to get back to Magnus, Alec realised that Rafael was right. "Huh," Alec looked over at Magnus, who had walked away after he'd given Max back to Alec, to go and get Max and Rafael's coats.  
  
When he came back over, he helped Rafael put his coat on, and then took Max back from Alec to put his coat on. Max instantly stopped crying, and clung to Magnus for dear life. That made Magnus laugh, and he patted Max's back. "I'm sure your daddy will bring you back tomorrow." Magnus smiled at Max, who looked quite upset, but now reassured that he'd be back with Magnus the following morning.  
  
Magnus followed them out of the main part of the building to see them out. He held the door open, and both Alec and Rafael thanked him. "I'll see you tomorrow," Magnus smiled, and waved at them. Alec smiled a thanks at Magnus, and Alec could have sworn that Magnus' cheeks turned a little red. "Goodbye Mr- Alec!" He said, and then quickly closed the door.  
  
Alec thought nothing of it, and gripped Rafael's hand tightly as they walked, as quickly as possible, back to the apartment that they now lived in.  
  
As Alec unlocked the door, he wondered how on earth he'd got here. The apartment building was probably the worst one in the whole area. But it was the only one Alec could actually afford.  
  
He'd lost a lot of money, that day that his ex-wife disappeared off of the face of the earth. Not only did she take pretty much all of their credit cards with her, but she took everything else too. His house, his car- even the family ring that his father had given when he'd turned 18.  
  
Alec knew why she'd wanted to divorce him- she didn't love him anymore, and really, he never had loved her either. He loves her in the sense that he cared for her, and wanted her in his life. But he couldn't ever love her in the way she wanted him to. Sure, the first few years they'd been together had been fine, but the last year had not been good. As soon as Max had been born, they seemed to drift apart. So, she filed for divorce, and as soon as it had gone through, she sold the house, took his money, most of his belongings, and his pretty much all of his joy.  
  
He was overly grateful that she'd left without taking Max and Rafael, but he was also bitter that she had left them motherless, and confused as to where she'd gone. He told them that she'd gone to stay with her parents for a little bit, but after that they did not ask again.  
  
Alec and his sons had to stay with his parents for a while. They'd had nowhere to go, after being kicked out of their house. Maryse had offered Alec a lot of money, to try and buy the house back, but he could not live his entire life attempting to pay her and his father back. So, he gathered up all of the money his ex-wife had left and put it into buying an apartment.  
  
Of course, he wanted to create the best life for Max and Rafael out of the ruined life his ex-wife had left him in. He had to accept extra money from his parents, Izzy, and even Jace at some points, just to make this By work. His family made sure to spoil Max and Rafael when they could, and they all shared Max and Rafael, by having them once a month, meaning Alec could have a a few weekends a month for himself.  
  
For dinner, that night, Alec cooked the only thing he was good at- pasta. Max was barely a year, so he was just starting to eat pasta, even though he didn't seem entirely impressed with it. It was probably the way Alec cooked it. He'd been told he wasn't the best chef- but that seemed to be a family trait, as every time Izzy cooked, someone went home with food poisoning.  
  
After dinner, Alec changed them both into their pyjamas, and put Max to bed, and for half an hour, he and Rafael watched some kids programme that Alec knew all the words too and was bored by. Rafael loved it though, and he loved Rafael, so he suffered through it for the millionth time, and as soon as it was over, he put Rafael to bed.  
  
He laid on his couch, which was kind of lumpy but good enough, and stared up at he ceiling. He wondered if his ex-wife would ever come back. It had been five months now, since she'd up and left, and he hadn't heard anything from her whatsoever. So, he expected that she was never coming back.  
  
Whether he really cared about her coming back was one thing, but, to him, the most important thing was his kids, and somewhere, deep down, he knew that they needed someone else other than just Alec.

* * *

Over the next few days, it seemed that Max and Rafael were becoming more and more attached to Magnus. Alec couldn't say whether that was a good thing or not. It was good that they liked one of their carers at the daycare, but not good because that was the only place that they ever got to see him.  
  
On Friday, when Alec came to pick Max and Rafael up, he saw Magnus without them, for once. He was talking to the owner of the daycare, who let him go when Alec walked in, giving Magnus the chance to come over and talk to Alec.  
  
"Hi," Magnus said, quite timidly. He stood next to Alec, who was watching Rafael playing with another boy his age.  
  
"Hey," Alec did not take his eyes off of his son.  
  
Magnus didn't say anything for a moment, also watching Rafael playing, but then he turned his attention towards Alec, and looked up at him. "Listen, you can say no- it's just a question- Mr. Lightwood- uh, I was wondering if you were busy tomorrow night?"  
  
The words didn't register with Alec, but then he played them over again in his head. He frowned, and looked down at Magnus, who was looking up at him hopefully.  
  
Did Magnus mean- no, surely not. Of course he didn't.  
  
Alec shook his head. "This weekend they're staying with me. We're gonna go see a film," Magnus looked quite defeated, and then Alec realised that Magnus would actually be quite helpful. "But you're welcome to come with. You know- and hang out with us."  
  
Magnus' eyes lit up, and he grinned. "Great! Uh. Should I- should I meet you at the movies, or-"  
  
"That would be good," Alec smiled, and this time, he was sure that Magnus' cheeks had heated up. "We'll be there at 5- I don't want to make it too late, or Max will get moody."  
  
"Okay!" Magnus bit his lip, and then turned away for a moment. Then he turned back, and Alec raised his eyebrow at him. "Uh, I'll go get Max for you," he said, as he walked away, backwards. "I'll be back in a-" Magnus cut himself, as he tripped over some building blocks. He caught himself though, and he blushed even harder. "Moment!" He squeaked, and then ran off.  
  
Alec shook his head at him, unimpressed by Magnus' sudden clumsiness, but it made him laugh anyway. Okay, now he was sure that Magnus had been trying to ask him out on a date. Alec wasn't interested though- he didn't like guys, anyway. But he liked Magnus, as a friend, and he was good with his kids. No harm would come from Magnus coming to the movies with them. And Alec would make sure that Magnus knew he wasn't interested. Probably.

Saturday, up until five, was spent sleeping in, eating and watching TV. Alec loved Max and Rafael more than most could imagine, but when they wanted, between them, they could eat the entire fridge, and most weekends it ended up being that way. Alec wasn’t much of an eater- he drunk too much coffee and ate too little- so the only thing he joined in with eating was the smiley potato faces that Rafael and Max seemed to love. 

Mid-way through the afternoon, Alec forced Max and Rafael to get dressed, even though they seemed unimpressed by the fact that they had to wear any clothes other than their pyjamas. Alec resorted to trying to blackmail them into getting dressed.“We’re going to see Magnus. If you guys don’t get dressed we can’t go and see him.” He said, and instantly they let him dress them. 

He left them sitting in Rafael’s cot together whilst he quickly got dressed, throwing on some jeans, t-shirt and a hoodie. He didn’t look all that presentable, but he didn’t have the time (or the clothes) to look super presentable. And anyway, it was just Magnus, and it wasn’t a date. He didn’t need to look like he’d made an effort. 

He grabbed his wallet from the kitchen counter, and then grabbed Rafael and Max, and led them out of the door. 

The movie theatre was a little way across town, which meant that they had to get the bus there, and by the time they arrived, Magnus was already standing outside. Unsurprisingly, he was wearing bright clothing, and stood out from everyone walking past. Though Alec, Rafael and Max weren’t were particularly bright clothes, Magnus spotted them instantly. He smiled over at them, and Alec smiled back as soon as he saw Magnus’ smile. 

“Hey,” Alec said, and let Magnus hold Max, as he’d already started making grabby hands at Magnus. This made Magnus laugh, so he took Max, and held him tight against him. 

“It’s only been a day,” Magnus shook his head at Max, who seemed happy to be back with Magnus already. 

“Well, he missed you.” Alec now had the spare arm room to pick Rafael up. 

“I missed him.” Magnus smiled, and though Alec assumed the smile was more for Max, he did wonder if it was for him as well. 

Alec had never been one to toot his own horn, but he did have an inkling that Magnus had a thing for him. He’d thought more about it over the last day, decided that that was probably the case. 

“I got the tickets, I hope you don’t mind,” Magnus held Max in one arm, whilst he dug around in his pocket for the tickets. 

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that. Let me pay you back-”

Magnus shook his head at Alec. “My treat. And popcorn is on me too.”

“Magnus-” Alec started, and Magnus turned away and ignored him, as if he couldn’t hear what Alec was saying. 

Alec decided not to argue. Somehow, he’d given Magnus his money back- he reminded him of Izzy, where she’d force Alec to let her pay for stuff for him or for Max and Rafe, and every time she’d make him promise that he wouldn’t pay her back. 

They went into the theatre, and went over to the food stand. They got two large popcorns to share between the four of them, and Alec felt quite bad- he wasn’t really a popcorn fan, but then again, Rafe loved it and he was sure that but the end of the film, the two year old would have inhaled it all. 

The movie seemed to go on forever, but it seemed to entertain Rafe, Max, and even Magnus. Alec, however, was starting to fall asleep, despite being able to have a few hours extra of sleep in the morning. He didn’t even realise that he’d fallen asleep, until Magnus nudged him, to let him know that it was the end of the film. 

Max and Rafe were giggling at him, amused by their dad who was still half asleep, even as they made their way out of the movie theatre. They didn’t even get outside, until Magnus turned around and asked if they’d eaten dinner yet. 

“No,” Alec replied. “But Magnus, if you offer to-”

“It’s not an offer if it’s forced,” Magnus smiled at him. “What does everyone want for dinner?”

They ended up going to an Italian place down the street. It was small, but Magnus said he’d been there before, and they had loads of choices that would entertain Max and Rafe. It was cute, Alec had to admit, when he walked in, and all the people there were very friendly. When they were seated, and they had their drinks, the waitress came over and took their orders. 

“Aren’t you guys cute?” She smiled, as she pulled her pad out of her apron. “How long you been together?”

“We’re not together,” Alec said, and glanced at Magnus, who looked a little embarrassed by the waitresses presumptions. “We’re just friends.”

“Oh!” The waitress covered her mouth as she laugh. “I’m sorry honey. Well maybe you should, you suit each other.”

Magnus looked like he wanted to sink into the seat, especially as the waitress was too busy playing with Rafe and Max to actually leave, and let him apologise for what had happened. Alec just gave him a small glance, in attempts to reassure him, but Magnus was too busy staring at the menu, apparently trying to burn a hole in it with his eyes. 

When the waitress did leave, Magnus wasted no time in spluttering out an apology, to which Alec just ignored. “You don’t need to apologise. I can see where she was coming from. We do kind of look like a couple.”

Magnus laughed awkwardly, but Alec could tell that he was still embarrassed by the entire encounter. 

While they were waiting for their food, Alec and Rafe had a deep conversation about dogs, and Magnus helped Max colour in the paper that the waitress had given him. 

As they ate, Magnus was the one to help Max eat his food, and he had also cut up Rafe’s pizza for him, which Alec was happy about. For once in the past few years, he didn’t have to help anyone other than himself to eat. 

The awkwardness had worn off by the time the dinner was over. Magnus was the one to pay, but only after Alec had fished his money, his keys, and his drivers licence from his pocket, in attempts of finding his credit card. 

After Magnus paid, he seemed intrigued by Alec’s drivers licence, and so picked it up. When he reached the bottom of it, his eyes went wide. “You’re twenty-seven?” Magnus asked, and Alec nodded. “Huh.”

Magnus handed the licence back to Alec, who put it back in his pocket. “Why is that such a shock to you.”

“You look younger.”

Alec shrugged, and leant back in the seat a little. “How old are you, anyway?”

“I’m twenty-one.”

Alec’s eyebrows almost shot off of his forehead. “You’re only a baby! You’re like…the same age as Rafe.”

Magnus seemed quite offended by this comment. “I’m an adult. _And_ I can legally buy alcohol.”

Alec snorted. “You’re basically twelve.”

This caused Magnus to frown. “I’m twenty-one!”

“Exactly!” Alec grinned.

They left the restaurant, and made their way back towards the movie theatre, where Magnus stopped. “I parked my car around here somewhere. So, uh,” He stood there for a moment, and then his eyes went wide. “God, sorry, do you want me to take you guys back home?”

Alec went to shake his head, but on cue, Max started yawning. Alec smiled at his son, and then smiled at Magnus. “Yeah, that would be great. Thanks.”

Magnus drove them home, whilst he told Rafe, Max, and Alec about the time he got locked in a park over night after he’d fallen asleep on a bench, and the park owner hadn’t noticed him the dark. The story had Rafe and Max laughing, and made Alec like Magnus a little bit more. 

When Magnus pulled up outside Alec’s apartment block, he helped get Max out of the backseat, and helped Alec take him upstairs. 

“You can come in for a bit, if you want,” Alec offered, as he was unlocking the apartment door. Magnus shook his head. 

“I better get back home, but uh, thanks for letting me tag along today.”

“Why are you thanking me?” Alec asked. He took Max out of Magnus’ arms, and stepped into his apartment. “Thank _you_ for paying for everything. And for being great company.” 

Magnus’ cheeks went a little red, and he smiled down at the floor. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

“See you.” Alec replied. 

He watched Magnus go, and he took a long breath, before turning around and going back into his apartment. Rafe was already sitting in front of the TV, probably wondering why it wasn’t turning on. Alec smiled at him, and went over to turn it on. Then he took Max into the kids’ bedroom, and put him to bed. 

He walked back into the living barely five minutes later, and Rafael had already fallen asleep. So he took him into the bedroom as well, and put him down to sleep in the cot next to his brothers. 

Alec wasted no time in making his way towards the bathroom. He grabbed a towel, turned the shower on, and climbed in as soon as it was hot. He never usually had showers until late at night when he was sure that both Max and Rafael were asleep, but today, it was barely eight when he actually got in the shower. 

He spent a while just standing under the water, staring at the back of his eyelids, but his eyes shot open when he found himself thinking about Magnus. He shook the thought out of his mind, even though all he’d done was imagine Magnus’ face. 

He continued on with his shower, and then got out, dried off, and went straight to bed. It had been a long day, and he supposed that tomorrow would be longer. 

Alec fell asleep within minutes of his head hitting the pillow.

 


	2. ...When I Want You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "When I want you,  
> you'll start to be yourself in front of me.  
> Your nose will crinkle, your hair falling in your eyes,  
> and your face will beam.  
> My life will change  
> when I have you there in my arms,  
> and you'll somehow become my glue  
> to stop me from falling apart.  
> -anonymous

The more and more Rafael and Max got to know and love Magnus, the more he came round, which meant the more Alec saw him. It seemed that Magnus came round almost everyday after work, and every weekend that Rafael and Max were at home. Magnus seemed to visit a lot on weekends when they weren't there, but Alec just put that down to Magnus not realising that they stayed with their grandparents or aunts and uncles, and Alec not being able to turn him away. 

Magnus, unlike Alec, was an absolute whiz in the kitchen. In the two months between meeting Magnus and now, Alec must have put on at least a good few kilos, because he wasn’t living off of burnt toast, potato faces and microwave meals anymore. 

Most nights ended with Magnus helping Alec put Max and Rafael to bed, and then Magnus leaving Alec passed out on the couch. 

Some nights, however, ended with Alec impressing Magnus by doing a complete rendition of some of Rafael’s favourite episodes of his favourite programmes, or by helping each other do the washing up and laundry, with the radio on as loud as they could put it without waking either of the boys up. 

It had become so common for Magnus to come round, that, when he did, Alec didn’t even think twice about letting him in. It wasn’t a surprise if Alec woke up one morning, still half-asleep, dark stubble coming through and his hair a complete mess, to see Magnus standing in the door, holding a bag of shopping, looking way too neat for that time of the morning. If he did, Magnus would tell him to go back to bed for a while, and that he’d make breakfast and wake him up in an hour or two. Magnus also muttered something about him just making him an extra key just to stop having to wake Alec up in the mornings, which Alec did actually end up doing.

After a few months, every weekend, if Rafe and Max were there, Magnus would come round and take them out to the park, and at around eleven, Alec would wake up to the smell of pancakes and cinnamon and sugar, and all things and tastes that the kids like.

If Rafe and Max weren’t there, Alec would only wake up when Magnus wafted the smell of a full english breakfast under his nose. He’d open one eye, and then the other, to see Magnus walking out of his bedroom, the smell of the food following him like a shadow. That would be enough persuasion for Alec to get out of bed. 

One morning, when Alec hadn’t shaved in a couple of days, and his hair was wilder than usual, Magnus sat him down on the couch, placed the plate in his lap, and then poked his cheek. “Beardy,” He whispered, and Alec frowned, but didn’t waste any time in tucking into the food. “I like this. You look good.”

“Yeah?” Alec raised his eyebrow, whilst his mouth was full with bacon and eggs. Magnus nodded. 

“Don’t grow it anymore though. God, please. This stubble is good. Just promise me you won’t go for a full Dumbledore beard.”

Alec laughed, and then continued on eating. He kept the stubble after that. 

It really did take him far too long to admit that he could no longer function without Magnus. He’d spent weeks, months, even, thinking that, if Magnus suddenly up and left, he’d be able to cope. Alec guessed it was because he expected to be left. He’d worked perfectly well on his own for the months before Magnus had come along, but he’d grown so used to the others presence that he was sure the world would crumble around him if he left. 

Despite admitting that he couldn’t function without Magnus, he would never admit to the feelings he had for him, which he knew, and felt were eating away at his insides. 

Alec was straight. He was certain of that…almost certain. He just couldn’t really explain why he never wanted Magnus to leave, nor how his heartbeat sped up every time Magnus was around him. He couldn’t explain it. He didn’t like him, because he wasn’t gay.

But the more he fooled himself into believing he was straight, the more he noticed his and Magnus' boundaries between each other were growing smaller. Alec felt like he was on fire if his hands accidentally touched Magnus'. He couldn't breathe if Magnus sat a little too close on the couch. And sometimes, he'd almost have a heart attack if Magnus ever fell asleep in his bed- fully clothed, mind you. 

It was the small things that Alec noticed, but they made all the difference, and were confusing him even more. 

* * *

During the summer vacation, Izzy and Simon came round to pick up Rafe and Max, as they were taking them, for a long weekend, to the beach, where Simon's family owned a beach house. Alec had no complaints, as he knew Izzy loved the kids like they were her own, and the fact that their mother had left them made her feel obliged to take over the motherly role in her wake.

Simon was also desperate to be the best uncle he could be, and though he was not cool whatsoever, he seemed to believe that Rafe and Max thought he was, even though they were too young to even understand what the definition of a 'cool' Uncle was. 

In the morning, when Izzy and Simon arrived, they were confused as to why Alec's apartment smelt so good. Izzy, a bad cook herself, knew what bad food smelt like, and the smells coming from the kitchen were certainly not that. 

"Did you get yourself a maid?" Izzy asked, and Alec frowned. Then he realised that he had not told her, or anyone for that matter, about the existence of Magnus. 

"No, uh," Alec stepped aside to let Izzy and Simon in, and then moved out of the way to let Rafe waddle past, and hug Simon's legs. "There's a...friend, in the kitchen."

"No friend of yours would ever come round at ten in the morning to make you guys waffles," Izzy said, and thought he hated to admit it, Alec knew she had a point. He barely had any friends, other than Jace and Simon, and neither of them were going to come round to make him breakfast. Apart from Magnus. 

"He's good," Alec replied. "He likes the kids and he's a real good cook."

"Sounds like more than just a friend you've got there, dude," Simon pointed out, which earned him a death glare from Alec. 

Izzy wandered into the kitchen to introduce herself to Magnus, and Alec helped Simon grab Max and Rafe's bag for the week. Rafe was still attempting to grip onto Simon's leg when Magnus and Izzy walked into the living room. This was a signal for Rafe to run to Magnus. Magnus picked him up, and kissed the side of his head. 

Izzy smirked over at Alec, who took a deep breath, and then, in the politest way possible, told them to take his kids and get out of his apartment. 

Though he wanted Simon and Izzy to leave, he did not want Rafe and Max to leave. Though it was nice to get a break from looking after them, it was sad to not be able to see them for a week. Both he and Magnus stood at the door and waved them off, and once it was closed, Alec slumped down on the sofa, not really knowing what to do with himself. 

Without any form of warning, Magnus ran his hand through Alec's hair, causing Alec's breath to catch in his throat. If this was Magnus' way of calming Alec down, it most certainly was doing the complete opposite. 

"They'll be back soon, don't you worry." 

Alec just nodded, pretending that he was calm, so Magnus would walk away. When he did, and was definitely out of ear shot, Alec let the breath he'd been holding go. His heart was pumping, and he had to run into the bathroom to prevent himself from hyperventilating. 

It was at that exact moment that he realised he was most definitely not straight and most definitely, at least, crushing on Magnus. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." He muttered under his breath, as he paced around in the bathroom, wondering to himself what he was supposed to do. He couldn't exactly be around Magnus for much longer. He knew he'd explode. But he couldn't stay in the bathroom for the rest of the day, either. 

So, he unlocked the door, and went back into the living room, where Magnus was just bringing in the waffles he'd made them. 

"One chocolate syrup and sprinkles waffle for me," Magnus said, sitting down on the couch as Alec joined him. "And one plain waffle for you, because, well, you're an old man and you have no fun."

Magnus handed the plain waffle to Alec, who frowned, relatively offended by that comment, but ate the waffle anyway. He was trying to block out the thought of Magnus, but that was pretty hard as Magnus was retelling a story about Max and Rafe in the daycare that Alec had already heard a thousand times, but did not have the heart to tell him he knew what was coming next. 

When they finished breakfast, Alec offered to wash up, but Magnus forced him to sit back down. "I made breakfast, so I'll wash up. Next time you cook breakfast, you can wash up"

"I don't cook." Alec said, and Magnus grinned at him. 

"Exactly."

Magnus had been washing up for a few minutes when Alec realised that he was still in his pyjamas. He stood up, the sound of Magnus whistling becoming quieter as he made his way to his bedroom. 

He pulled on some clothes; first his boxers and socks, and then his pants, but, as the Gods seemed to be out for him that day, just as he was about to pick up his t-shirt, Magnus walked in, and walked straight into Alec. 

They bounced off of each other, but somehow, their faces were barely a couple of inches apart. Neither of them said anything for a few moments, until Magnus sucked in too much air, and started to slowly step backwards, away from Alec. "We need more soap," Magnus said, his cheeks turning bright red. "Soap! I- uh- oh my god- you are- you really- you- I can't-"

Magnus did not finish what he was saying, as he'd already turned and ran, and within a second, the front door had slammed shut, the noise echoing around the apartment. 

Alec's heart was racing, unable to completely understand what had just happened. He was dazed, but pulled his t-shirt on anyway. After he'd done that, he walked out of his bedroom, and out to the front door, where there was a cold breeze coming through from the sudden opening and closing of the door. 

As he stood in front of it, he wondered how long Magnus would be. Hopefully not too long. His coat was gone though, so he might be a while. Either way, Alec guessed he should make himself comfortable near the door, as Magnus had left his set of keys on the dining table.

* * *

Three days. Three days was how long Alec waited by the door for Magnus. Of course, he moved- he had to go to work at some point or another- but as soon as he was home he waited for Magnus to knock on the door, with a bag full of soap, maybe some bacon and hopefully a finely aged wine that has matured over the time he'd been gone.

On Wednesday evening after a hard days work, Alec wanted nothing more than to go to bed and sleep for many years. He knew he needed to eat, but he had no energy to even think about cooking anything. 

He pulled off his tie and belt, threw his blazer and shoes somewhere in the room, and then got comfy on the couch. Without even realising, he'd chosen the spot that he could get to the door quickly, in case Magnus decided to finally return. 

Alec's eyes shot open when there was a knock on the door. He stood up, but almost fell back down again, as all the blood in his head rushed down, making him go a little dizzy.

When he regained his balance, he walked over to the door, and slowly opened it. 

There, finally, stood Magnus.

Alec did not know what else to do other than to let him in, and close the door behind him. There were no words exchanged, and both of them were holding their breath, but when Magnus was inside, and they were looking at each other, Alec could practically feel the elephant in the room squashing him against the wall. 

There was so much he could ask- where did you go? Why did you leave? Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?- but he couldn't. The words just wouldn't form. 

Alec could have easily just walked away from Magnus. He could have boiled some hot water, made Magnus a cup of coffee, maybe put a movie on for Magnus while he went to have a shower, and then joined him on the couch when he was finished. Magnus could just fall back into Alec's life as easy as he'd entered it. 

But he didn't. He decided that, his best choice in life, right at that very second, would to be to grab Magnus' jaw, and to kiss him, right in the middle of his living room. 

Of course, as soon as it had happened, Alec regretted it immediately. He tried to run away, but he had neither the energy or the power in himself to do so. 

He thought Magnus might hit him, or shout at him, or something of the sort. When they'd first met, Alec had thought that Magnus had a crush on him, but over the last months it had seemed and felt like that crush had turned into a friendship- which was the complete opposite for Alec. 

Magnus didn't hit him, though. Instead, Magnus grabbed the front of Alec's shirt, and pulled him towards him, pressing himself up against the door as he kissed him, with such force that it knocked all of the wind out of Alec.

For a moment, Alec didn't respond, completely shocked by what was happening. But the more he realised what was going on, the more he realised he needed and wanted to kiss Magnus back. 

There was a desperation in their kiss that had built up over the last months, which resulted in them gripping each other so tight and kissing each other so hard that Alec expected to be covered in bruises by the end of it all. 

He had never in his life kissed anyone the way he kissed Magnus, and had never felt that way when he kissed anyone either. Magnus' arms were around his neck, his hands in Alec's hair, and Alec's hands were making their way up Magnus' shirt, feeling every inch of Magnus' skin, causing a raging fire between them that was already so hot, it could burn the building down. 

Alec hardly noticed Magnus attempting to undo the buttons on his shirt, but when he did, he didn't complain or try to stop Magnus. With his shirt finally undone, Magnus somehow managed to swap their places, by pressing Alec up against the door instead. He started biting Alec's neck, way above the collar line, but it hurt too good for Alec to even think about telling him to stop. 

Seen as Alec's shirt was basically off, he thought it highly unfair that Magnus was still fully clothed- in fact, he was even wearing a coat! Alec tugged the coat off of Magnus' shoulders, and then started pulling Magnus' shirt off, over his head. Magnus didn't try to fight him, because as soon as Magnus' shirt was on the floor, they started kissing again. 

Alec could feel himself shaking, and though he wanted to stop himself from doing that, he couldn't. He was overwhelmed by everything that was happening, and barely even registered Magnus starting to undo his pants. 

Alec desperately grabbed at Magnus' wrist, stopping him from going any further. Magnus' eyes went wide, and he looked at Alec, terrified that he'd done something wrong. 

"Not here," Alec whispered, and Magnus nodded in agreement. Alec, still holding onto Magnus’ wrist, pulled him towards the bedroom. Both of their hearts were in their throats, even more so as Alec closed the bedroom door, shutting himself and Magnus inside. 

It wasn’t all that light in the room, as it was already dark outside, and the lights in the room weren't on. There was some light shining in from the world below from the street lamps, which illuminated Magnus’ face with an orange glow, making him look almost angelic, and was just enough to make Alec loose his breath. He let his eyes wander from Magnus’ face to his shoulders, down to his stomach. He swallowed, hard, and then stepped forward, his hands going to Magnus’ waist, cupping his hips in his hands, as Magnus put his arms back around his neck. 

Alec walked Magnus back onto the bed, pushing him down onto the mattress, then standing above him for a moment so he was able to take in the view. Magnus was leaning back on his elbows, his mouth parted, looking up at Alec. Alec, now, could not bear it any longer- he climbed on top of Magnus, and kissed him, then started to undo Magnus’ pants. He undid the belt, threw it on the floor, and then pulled down the zipper and unhooked the button.

Magnus didn’t stop kissing him, not even as he lifted his hips for Alec to pull down his pants, nor as Alec threw them somewhere on the bedroom floor. The only time _he_ stopped kissing Alec was when Alec stopped kissing _him_ , allowing himself a few seconds so he was able to pull off his own pants. 

There was hardly any clothing between them anymore. The only barrier was their underwear, but for the moment, that was good enough. Magnus grabbed at Alec’s shoulders, and swapped them around, so he was on top, and Alec was on the bottom. Though Alec was the bigger and taller of the two, Magnus had somehow overpowered him, and trapped him underneath.

Alec dug his nails into Magnus’ skin, and then slid his hands down his back. Magnus latched his teeth onto Alec’s lip, causing Alec to gasp a little, causing Alec to become desperate for Magnus' kiss, as if he wasn't already. He followed Magnus upwards as Magnus pulled away from him, which made Magnus smirk, but he didn’t tease Alec anymore. He leaned back down, kissing Alec again.

Alec, however, liked to tease people in bed, especially if he knew he had them wrapped around his little finger. It was apparent now that he was going to tease the hell out of Magnus. Even if just for a little while. 

He let his hands go under the waistband of Magnus’ underwear, smoothing over Magnus’ butt, slowly and teasingly taking his underwear down at the same time. Magnus pulled away from Alec for a moment, and bit his lip. Alec looked up at him, and sucked in a deep breath. “God,” He whispered, unable to tear his eyes away from Magnus, and knowing that he couldn't tease him for another second longer, as it wasn't just torture for Magnus- it had become torture for Alec too. 

Alec could not control himself anymore. He switched himself and Magnus back around, and pushed Magnus’ legs apart so he was between them. He started by sucking on Magnus’ neck, leaving a dark, red mark when he was finished. He then kissed down from Magnus’ shoulders, to his chest, and his stomach. 

Magnus had a fistful of Alec’s hair, as Alec was busy sucking a hickey into the top of Magnus’ thigh. When he looked up, Magnus was breathing heavily, his hair already a little damp and sticking to his forehead. Alec stopped making marks on Magnus’ thigh, and moved back a little so he could look at the man in front of him. 

“God,” Alec whispered again, before he leaned over Magnus, kissed him hard on the lips, and then, almost unsurely, moved his hand around Magnus’ cock. Alec’s cheeks heated up when Magnus let out a shaky gasp. This gasp, however, gave him more confidence, and he started to rub him, slowly at first, but the more Magnus gasped and moaned, the faster he went. 

Alec- who up until recently had never imagined being with anyone other than a woman- had so much sudden confidence in what he was doing, that, when Magnus was on the verge of cumming, he stopped, much to Magnus’ disappointment, and sat back on his heels in between the other’s legs. 

He understood the basics of what he had to do. What he didn’t know, however, was whether Magnus actually wanted that. If Magnus said no, then of course he wouldn’t do anything- but he didn’t really know how he was supposed to ask. 

Magnus, it seemed, knew what Alec was trying to ask without Alec even saying anything. He sat up, grabbed the back of Alec’s neck and pulled him to down on top of him, forcing their lips together in a messy kiss. When Alec pulled away, he was completely breathless, and became even more so when Magnus laid back down, his chest rising up and down as he tried to catch his own breath, his pupils growing bigger with lust by the second.

“Alec, just- _please,_ ” Magnus practically begged, and Alec took this as permission to continue with what he was doing. 

So, Alec lifted Magnus’ legs up onto his shoulders, licked his fingers as a quick form of lube, and then, as carefully and slowly as he possibly could, pushed his forefinger inside of Magnus. 

Magnus gasped again, and Alec looked at him worriedly. But Magnus’ eyes were closed, and he didn’t look like he was in pain, so Alec assumed that he hadn’t hurt him. He began prepping Magnus, using one finger, and then two, then finally three, but after that, Magnus deemed it enough, and Alec knew he couldn’t wait any longer. 

He kicked off his underwear, and then pulled Magnus as close to him as he could possibly could get. He kissed Magnus, and then pulled away for a moment. He spat in his hand, stroked himself a few times, and then he gently pushed himself inside of Magnus. Magnus’ face scrunched up a little, and instantly Alec stopped. 

“It’s okay,” Magnus said, and cupped Alec’s face his his hand. “It’s uncomfortable, but- Alec, I’m alright.”

A shiver went down Alec’s spine when Magnus said his name, and he had to kiss him again before he could continue pushing all the way inside. As soon as he was inside, Magnus grabbed onto his forearms, and nodded, telling Alec that he could move. 

And he did. He pulled out, and pushed in again, and a moan escaped both of their mouths. It was tight, and this caused Alec to worry that Magnus would absolutely hate it, and therefore _him,_ but the more he moved, the more Magnus seemed to relax and enjoy it. 

Alec readjusted himself several times, before he finally found Magnus’ prostate. He knew he’d found it when Magnus’ back arched off the bed ever so slightly, and he swore loudly, which was a rare thing for him to do. 

Magnus’ hands made their way into Alec’s hair, and Alec couldn’t help but moan when Magnus tugged hard. He had to bite on Magnus’ neck to quieten himself, but then he realised that he could be as loud as he wanted to, and so stopped biting Magnus, pressing his and Magnus’ foreheads together, just so he could watch Magnus’ continuously changing facial expressions. 

“Fuck- Christ- _Alec,”_ Magnus moaned, and Alec decided that _yes,_ this was the way he wanted Magnus to say his name everyday. He knew that he would never tire of hearing Magnus moan his name. It was something that would only grace the luckiest person in the entire universe’s ears, and Alec realised that that was him. 

“M-Magnus,” Alec’s voice was shaking, and he couldn’t really tell why. Perhaps it was the fact that he was with, in his eyes, the most perfect person in the world, or simply because he was out of breath. Either way, he could focus on nothing other that _Magnus_ at that moment. Not that he was ever going to focus on anything else, anyway. 

Alec knew that Magnus was going to cum when Magnus’ grip on his hair started to tighten. Alec balled the bedsheets into his fists and fucked Magnus harder and faster, feeling his own orgasm coming in the bottom of his stomach. 

Alec thought it only ever happened in a dream world or in porn, but as Magnus moaned his name, he moaned Magnus’, and they came together. 

Neither of them moved for a while. Alec buried his head into the crook of Magnus’ shoulder, and he felt Magnus’ heartbeat slowly return back to normal. When it did, he pulled out of Magnus, and wasted no time in climbing under the bed covers, and closing his eyes. 

Magnus, though, had other ideas than sleeping, and kissed Alec in an attempt to rouse him. “Alec?” Magnus asked, and Alec opened one eye. “Are we gonna…talk about that?”

Alec shook his head, and Magnus frowned. “I have no regrets, Magnus, if that’s what you were thinking,” He pulled Magnus close to him, tucking him into his side, and letting Magnus wrap an arm around him. “No regrets. I could never.”

Magnus pressed a kiss against Alec’s chest, accepting Alec's answer as a good enough one. Alec’s eyes were already closed, and he seemed to have fallen asleep as soon as he'd finished his sentence. Magnus rested his head back on Alec’s chest, and then closed his own eyes. It took him a little longer to fall asleep that it had Alec, but it was only because he couldn’t stop thinking about what had just happened. Magnus, for the first time in his life, knew that he’d fall asleep happy, and then wake up in the same mood he’d been in before he’d closed his eyes. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok i'm sorry this took so long to write, but that was my first ever sex scene, and i'm not sure whether i liked the way it turned out. you guys can be the judges- make sure to let me know what you thought!


	3. ...When I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "When I love you,  
> oh, then I will love you.  
> And when you love me,  
> oh, then you will love me too.  
> We'll lay side-by-side  
> in omnipotent bliss,  
> with your beautiful smile and soul,  
> making me know that it could never be any better than this."  
> -anonymous.

Alec woke up in the morning, in the middle of the bed and quite comfortable, but alone. He rolled over, wondering if Magnus had decided to leave. Maybe Magnus was the one to have regrets- Alec should have probably asked. 

His heart was sinking, but then he noticed the coffee cup on the side table. He instantly sat up, and grabbed it. It was full, and though it wasn’t as warm as he guessed it had been, Alec knew that Magnus had made him a cup of coffee before he’d left to go to work. 

Speaking of which, Alec felt absolutely no want to go to work that day. He could have easily drunk his coffee, and then rolled back into bed and have fallen asleep until Magnus came back. Obviously, that wasn’t an option, as he needed to the money, so he finished his coffee, and then got out of bed. 

He usually liked showers, but this morning he felt as though it was just slowing him down. He wanted the day to just hurry up and finish already so he could see Magnus again. And God, he felt like a teenage girl desperate to see her crush but that was exactly how he felt. He wanted Magnus _so much_ that it was making his chest ache.

Once he was dressed and ready for work, he made himself another cup of coffee as he knew it was way too early to start making his way across town. Without dropping Max and Rafael off, it only took him half an hour to get there, and he had a while to waste before he needed to leave, he decided to waste it by drinking more coffee to get his energy going. 

He didn’t notice the sticky note on the refrigerator until it fell off when he was trying to get some milk out. He picked it up off of the floor, and then put it on the side before he forgot about the milk. He finished making his coffee, and then allowed himself to read the sticky note, which he hoped was from Magnus. 

‘S _orry that I left without telling you. You’re too cute to wake up. I made your coffee too strong so you’d come in here and get some milk and see this, but maybe you’re in here making more coffee. Who knows. Anyway, theres only so much you can fit on a sticky note, so I’ll be round lat-”_

Alec could not stop himself from smiling down at the sticky note like a big, goofy idiot. He carefully folded it up, and put it in his pocket just so he would be able to look at it while he was at work, in hopes that it would make the day go faster.

It didn’t make his day go faster, though. It actually made his day go slower, as he found himself looking at the sticky note every five minutes, and looking up at the clock when he did to see that barely anytime had gone by. 

Another thing that did not help was the fact that Magnus texted him once throughout the entire day. That meant that every few minutes, Alec would check his phone, to see that there was no reply, and then Valentine would tell him off for being on his phone instead of working. 

When it turned four, Alec made a move to leave, but was stopped by Valentine, who seemed to be in a bad mood for not the first time in his life. 

“You’re gonna make up for those mornings you’ve been late, Lightwood,” Valentine said, and put a cup of coffee down on Alec’s desk. “Two more hours, then I’ll come and see how much you’ve done.”

Alec did not argue, because he knew that if he did argue, he’d lose his job. He got to work, desperate to get all the work that he needed to do done, so Valentine may let him go home earlier. 

He didn’t, though. He made Alec stay until six, and then a little longer to run stuff to Simon’s desk for him to pick up on Monday. By the end of it, Alec had never been gladder to get on the dirty bus to go home. 

As he walked up the stairs to his apartment, it wasn’t only the climb that was making him lose his breath. The last time he’d seen Magnus was almost twenty-four hours earlier, and they’d been in bed together. He’d never been more excited to see anyone, ever. 

He put the key in the door, and twisted it. The door opened, and out wafted a smell that Alec could only define as heavenly. He stepped in, closed the door behind him, and took a deep breath, as if that would slow his heartbeat down. 

He threw his bag, his jacket and his tie on the couch, and kicked off his shoes by the door. He could see through to the kitchen, and saw Magnus busy cooking away, with the radio turned up high. He was too busy dancing whilst cooking to notice Alec’s presence, even when Alec was standing right behind him. 

“Great dancing,” Alec said, and Magnus jumped out of fright, almost hitting the ceiling. 

“You scared me!” Magnus squeaked, which made Alec laugh. He didn’t think twice about leaning down and kissing Magnus, who fell back against the kitchen counter, knocking a pan aside as he went. 

That didn’t stop them, though. Alec pushed everything on the counter aside, and lifted Magnus up, so he was sitting on it. Their lips never parted, and Magnus wrapped his legs around Alec’s waist to get as close to him as possible. Alec started kissing Magnus’ neck, earning him a soft moan from Magnus’ mouth. 

Alec had been wanting this all day. He’d daydreamed about seeing Magnus, kissing Magnus, _touching_ Magnus…

They pulled away from each other when one of the pans started boiling over, splashing water onto the side, and dangerous near Magnus. Alec pulled him off of the side, preventing him being burnt. He quickly took the pan off of the stove, and threw it into the sink. 

“Oh Alec,” Magnus muttered, from where he was standing in the middle of the kitchen, as far away from the boiling water as possible. An entire portion of spaghetti was in the sink, and Alec peered over, looking extremely guilty. 

“I’m sorry,” Alec muttered. “I ruined dinner, didn’t I?”

Magnus giggled, and Alec looked around to see him, covering his hand with his mouth. “You did, but it’s alright.”

Alec frowned, and then looked back in the sink. “I mean, we could order pizza?”

* * *

Magnus laid in between Alec’s legs on the couch, his head on Alec’s chest, patting his own stomach, trying to stop himself from being sick. “I have not eaten that much pizza in a good five years.”

Alec chuckled, and let his head flop backwards, leaning on the armrest. “I don’t think I’ve eaten that much pizza ever.” Alec replied. 

Magnus rolled over, so he could look at Alec, who had his eyes closed. He nuzzled Alec’s chest, and then softly put his hand up Alec’s shirt. Alec opened one eye to look at Magnus, who had what only could be described as a cheeky grin on his face. 

Alec went to ask what Magnus was doing, but then Magnus pushed his shirt up, and started sucking a hickey onto Alec’s stomach. Alec ran his hand through Magnus’ hair, and bit his lip, trying not to make too much noise. 

When Magnus was finished, he looked proudly up at Alec, who was out of breath from just that. 

“God, Magnus,” Alec whispered.

“It was just a hickey,” Magnus said, and Alec shrugged. 

Alec now had an absolutely insatiable need for Magnus, right there and then. He picked Magnus up like he’d done earlier in the kitchen, and Magnus wrapped his legs around Alec. Alec had a good enough hold on Magnus that he could kiss him and walk at the same time. So that’s what he did- he kissed Magnus as he took them both to the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them, closing out the world as they went. 

* * *

Alec, usually for him, woke up early on Saturday morning, excited for Rafe and Max to come back home. Simon had texted him at nine a.m. to let him know that they were on their way home, and should be at the apartment by midday.

Alec left Magnus asleep as he made himself a coffee, and boiled enough water for Magnus if he was to wake up anytime soon. He plopped himself on the sofa, switched the TV on and started to watch an old black and white movie that would keep him entertained until either Magnus woke up or Simon and Izzy dropped Rafe and Max home. 

It was half eleven when Simon and Izzy arrived, looking quite tired from their week of looking after their nephews. Rafe was over excited to see his dad again, and Max clung to the back of Alec’s shirt when Simon handed him over. He invited them in for a coffee, but both of them turned lunch down as they knew how bad Alec was at even attempting to make a sandwich. 

“Where’s Magnus?” Rafe asked, as he sat on Alec’s lap, after recounting one of their days at the beach when a seagull stole Simon’s burger out of his hands. 

“Asleep,” Alec replied. “He came round this morning to see you guys but he went to sleep late last night. It was a long day at work.” Alec didn’t look up from his son to see Izzy and Simon’s reaction to this comment. It sounded innocent enough in his own head, and hoped they wouldn’t think anything of it.

Rafe grinned excitedly, and then crawled off of Alec’s lap and waddled over to his toy box, where Max was already happily playing with some of their toys. 

“Thank you for taking them,” Alec said to Izzy and Simon, who both shook their heads.

“We wanted to, Alec, you didn’t ask,” Izzy smiled at her brother. “It’s nice spending time with them. They’re growing up too fast and we don’t want to miss out on any chances we get with them.”

Alec smiled back at Izzy, and they made small talk for a while, until Izzy announced that they should probably to make sure that their own apartment hadn’t been robbed, or, most likely, been set on fire by Jace or Clary when they checked in. 

Just as they were about to leave, Magnus walked into the living room, his hair a mess, his sweatpants and t-shirt that he’d borrowed from Alec a little too big for him, and hanging loosely off of his small frame. It wouldn’t have been embarrassing, if only he didn’t have hickies covering most of his neck. 

Alec’s cheeks flared up, but it seemed Magnus didn’t even notice Simon and Izzy for a moment. When he did, it was apparent that he was the only one who didn’t know about the hickies, other than Max and Rafe who were none the wiser. 

“Hi Magnus,” Izzy smiled at Magnus, who rubbed his eyes, and then smiled back. 

“Hi,” Magnus was still half asleep, obviously, as his eyes were pretty much completely closed, and he wasn’t even looking at Izzy anymore. “Do you guys want a drink? Or anything?”

“We’re good, thanks,” Izzy was trying not to laugh, which made Alec blush even more. “We’re just going. See you guys soon.”

Alec walked his sister and soon to be brother-in-law outside, who were both desperately trying not to snort at Alec. Rafe and Max had spotted Magnus, and were clinging to his legs tightly as Alec pulled the front door half-closed behind him. 

“Isabelle, don’t you dare say anything to mom-”

“Hey, I won’t,” Izzy held up her hands, defending herself. “But, Alec, seriously, don’t claim that he’s just a friend.”

“He’s a-” Alec thought about it for a moment. Sure, it seemed like he and Magnus were together now, but they hadn’t actually talked about it. “He’s a…thing.”

“He’s your toyboy.” Simon said, and Alec glared at him. 

“He’s not my toyboy.”

“He’s your boyfriend,” Izzy cut in, before Alec got any more annoyed at Simon. 

“Like I said, he’s a thing. We haven’t discussed it yet.”

“How long _has_ this been going on for?” Izzy asked, and Alec shrugged. 

“Like…like four days. So just- don’t tell anyone, alright?”

Izzy sighed, and then looked at Simon, who looked thoroughly amused at what was happening. “Okay. Alright, Alec. We’ll see you later.”

Alec let them go, and then went back inside, to see Magnus sitting on the floor with Max and Rafael, listening to the story that Rafael had already told him. 

Alec joined them, picking Max up and placing him on his lap. Magnus leaned over and kissed Alec’s cheek, which didn’t bother Rafael in the slightest. He kept on telling the story, and Alec listened intently, bouncing Max up and down on his knee who was giggling loudly. 

That day, they went to the park, and Alec and Magnus watched as Max chased Rafael around, tripping over a few times, but getting back up and not crying each time. Magnus had a hold of Alec’s hand, and though Alec was constantly worried about someone he knew seeing them, he didn’t let go. 

* * *

The conversation about _them_ happened a week after that first night. Alec wasn’t even planning on bringing it up, but when Magnus dropped the ‘boyfriend’ bomb over dinner, Alec was a little shocked, as they hadn’t spoken about it yet.

“Boyfriend?” Alec repeated, whilst stopping Rafael from knocking his plate of mash potatoes down himself. 

“Well…yeah?” Magnus frowned, and looked over at Alec from where he was feeding Max. “I just…assumed…”

“We hadn’t talked about it,” Alec said, and put his cutlery down so he could drink some of his water. 

“I’m sorry,” Magnus wiped some food away from Max’s face, who was staring at his plate, ready for more food. “I just thought it was some unsaid thing, especially after we-”

“Magnus, it’s alright,” Alec offered him a smile. “I just thought we were gonna talk about it. Before we…you know…gave it an official name.”

“I’ve never dated anyone before,” Magnus admitted, and Alec was genuinely shocked. How had _Magnus_ of all people not dated anyone? “I’ve been with people, but I’ve never properly dated them. I’ve never been even slightly in a relationship before. That’s why I just guessed.”

“Hey, it’s alright,” Alec said, and Magnus went back to helping Max eat, slightly embarrassed by what had happened. Alec could see this, and reached across, stroking the back of Magnus’ neck. “Babe.”

Magnus looked around at the pet name, and then he started laughing. Alec, confused at this, frowned. “What?”

“Babe? Really.”

“Really really,” Alec replied, and grinned at Magnus, but not for long, as Rafael liked to ruin good moments, and knocked his dinner down himself after trying to fit a particularly big spoonful of it in his mouth. 

After that, they agreed that they were boyfriends, as really, the only thing preventing them from taking that title was Alec’s politeness in not saying it before Magnus agreed. 

Magnus went for a few pet names for Alec, which Alec adored. He loved hearing Magnus calling him ‘love’, ‘handsome’ and sometimes ‘giant’. Alec also stuck with the ‘babe’ nickname for Magnus, and sometimes ‘little one’ in retaliation of Magnus calling him ‘giant’. Whenever he did call Magnus by a pet name, it made Magnus smile and giggle, and Alec knew he would never tired of seeing Magnus happy. 

* * *

It was early October when Rafael turned three. Alec’s parents, who had a big house in the suburbs, said that Alec was welcome to throw him a party there if he wanted to. Of course, when Alec asked Rafael, Rafael giggled, and nodded, and started ranting about his cake and how big he wanted it.

Alec knew that, as he was the single dad at the daycare, the moms weren’t his biggest fans. There were a couple that he was friendly with, but the insults he heard were that he was bad in bed, or he’d abused his wife and she needed to get away, or, the most common one, was that he was a faggot and his wife had found out and left him.

Magnus, though he was smaller than most of the moms, got more riled up than even Alec, and did threaten to force them and their child to leave the daycare. Alec told him no- that they could think whatever they wanted and say whatever they wanted- because he just didn’t care. 

He invited the kids, and therefore their moms, to Rafael’s birthday party, anyway. He wanted Rafael to have a great birthday, and so made a promise to himself, and made Magnus promise too, that neither of them would sink to any of the mothers levels. They could say what they wanted to say. 

The only people other than Magnus, Alec, Rafael and Max that knew they were dating were Izzy and Simon, who hadn’t said anything to anyone about their relationship. Magnus and Alec would come out about it in their own time, and though Magnus hoped that that would be sooner rather than later, he wasn’t going to push Alec to do anything. 

On the morning of Rafael’s birthday, he opened his presents at home with Magnus, Max and Alec, and just before lunch, they headed downtown to Maryse and Robert’s house. 

Maryse and Robert hadn’t met Magnus before, and Alec could tell that they really weren’t sure who he was to Alec, but they welcomed him anyway. Alec, Simon and Jace and Clary started helping Robert with the decorations, whilst Izzy, Maryse and Magnus kept Rafael and Max busy in the living room. 

“So, Alec” Clary said as she sat atop Jace’s shoulders, helping Simon stick a banner up on the wall. “How long have you and Magnus been dating?”

Alec’s head whipped around, glaring at her. “Clary!” Jace muttered, and Clary shrugged. 

“I was just assuming.”

“You assumed wrong,” Alec replied, and jumped in an attempt to catch the balloon that was slowly floating up to the ceiling. 

“Sorry,” Clary huffed, and then jumped down off of Jace’s shoulders. “How long have you two been friends, then?”

“A few months?” Alec said, absentmindedly, even though he knew the exact date he and Magnus first met. “He’s actually one of Rafael’s and Max’s teachers at daycare.”

“Does that mean you don’t have to hand in any of their assignments?” Clary asked. 

Alec laughed a little, and then tied a piece of string around the balloon he was holding. “I guess. Or he just does them for me.”

Once all the decorations were up, and as the food was being set out in the kitchen, the first people started arriving, and they were, thankfully, the people Alec actually liked. 

As the hour went on, more and more people arrived, which meant there were more and more little kids running around Alec’s feet, and though he was used to two small children get under his feet constantly, he was not used to this many. 

Magnus was used to it, though, and he was able to balance several plates of food on his arms _and_ not step on any children at the same time. Alec expected that he was able to do that with his eyes closed. 

Most of the people who had said they were coming did come, and, unfortunately for Alec, a few of those people who _did_ come were the people who hated him the most. He let other people answer the door for him, though, but of course, at one point or another, he had to go and greet them, and thank them for coming. 

Though the party only went on for a couple of hours, Alec barely spent five minutes with Magnus. Magnus was recognised by all the kids, who all seemed to adore him, and so he spent most of his time trying to walk along, Rafael sitting on his shoulders, two children hooked onto his legs, and another few chasing behind him. 

Alec, though, was with Max, who he was feeding and looking after, with the help of Izzy. Simon, Jace and Clary had set up a game in the backyard, and Maryse and Robert were playing the perfect hosts, making sure everyone was fed and happy. 

Alec left Max with Izzy as he made his way out of the kitchen and towards the stairs so he could use the toilet. On his way there, though, he overhead a few of the moms talking about him and Magnus. 

“I heard they’re together,” One mom muttered, as she sipped her drink. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Another mom added, and flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I’ve seen Mr. Bane bring the kids to school several times. Alexander never really seemed like a faggot to me, but I’m sure he wouldn’t give up the chance of using a teacher to look after his children, even if it means he’s got to sleep with another man.”

“If it’s true, I’m leaving that daycare,” Adrienne, the only mom that hated Alec that he’d bothered to learn the name of, said, her arms crossed over her chest and her talon-like nails tapping on her upper arms. “I don’t want my Katie around gay men. She might catch something. And poor Max and Rafael…they’re probably going to grow up damaged because of their father and his… _way of life._ I’m not surprised that his wife left. I could never see someone in the same way if I knew they were gay.”

Alec had promised himself that he wouldn’t say anything to anyone that would cause an argument. But his blood had started boiling, and he couldn’t stick to that promise. So he walked over, the sweetest smile on his face, and nudged his way between to of the moms. 

“Hello ladies, how are you enjoying yourselves?” He asked, and saw them all become embarrassed, by the fact that they’d just been talking about him and Magnus. “I would offer to get you more drinks, but I’m sure you would not want me infecting them, would you? Maybe I should go and ask Magnus to get you drinks? Oh, wait…”

“Mr. Lightwood, if you overheard our conversation, we meant it as nothing more than a joke.” Adrienne said, her face flat but her cheeks tinted with red. 

“I’m sure, I’m sure,” He tapped his foot a few times, trying to hold back his anger. “Well, I’m sure, if your child comes out to you in future, you’ll probably talk about them like this. I can assure you that, if Rafe and Max ever come out to me, I’ll still see them in the same way that they were before they told me. And I can also assure you that the only damage that has been caused to them was when their mother left, but right now, both Magnus and I are giving them the best life that we can give them, whereas it looks like you ladies have already damaged your children with your homophobic views.”

Adrienne sucked in a long breath, and then pursed her lips. “My Katie is not damaged, Mr. Lightwood, if that is what your are trying to tell me.”

“Not at all,” Alec smiled sweetly. So sweet it could cause cavities. “I’m only suggesting the idea. But if you have a problem with faggots, as you have so lovingly nicknamed Magnus and I, then I’d quite like you to take your poor children and leave. I’m sure Magnus would not mind if you left the daycare, as he too has no time for homophobes.”

Alec left them, and made his way upstairs to the bathroom. He locked the door, and then sat down on the lid of the toilet seat, and took a few long breaths. The party was ending soon, anyway, so if they left now, Rafael wouldn’t ask why. He stood up, looked at himself in the mirror, to see that his cheeks were flushed with anger. He splashed his face with cold water, and cracked his knuckles. 

When he went back downstairs a little while later, most of the people were leaving. He didn’t say anything to them, assuming Magnus and everyone else had thanked them for coming. instead, he went into the kitchen, where his family were. Magnus was holding Max and talking to Robert and Maryse, who were laughing at something he’d said. 

“Magnus,” Alec said, as he walked towards him. Magnus turned around, and then Alec leaned in, and kissed him quickly, before walking away, leaving everyone starting at him. 

“What was that?” Maryse asked, and Alec ignored her. He grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator, cracked it open, and then closed the door. 

“What was what?” Alec asked, and took a swig of the beer. 

“ _That,_ ” Maryse repeated, and Alec shrugged. 

“You…kind of just kissed Magnus, Alec,” Jace pointed out, and Alec nodded. 

“I know.”

Everyone in the room was shocked, even Izzy and Simon who knew that Magnus and Alec were dating. They had just not been expecting Alec to have done that, not in front of his parents. 

“Were you going to tell us you two were an item?” Robert asked. “Or were you just going to let us believe Magnus was just a friend.”

“Eventually,” Alec said, and then sat down next to Clary, who had Rafe on her lap. He kissed Rafe’s forehead, and then leant back in the chair. 

“Uhm,” Magnus coughed, and then put Max on his hip, who was sucking on his pacifier. “I’m confused.”

“Sorry,” Alec apologised, and took another swing of his beer. “I was just sick of those moms being homophobic, and I just-”

“Don’t explain, Alec,” Izzy walked over, and wrapped her arms around her brothers shoulders. “It’s okay, we love you, and we always will. Won’t we?”

Alec knew she was glaring at their parents, who looked a little uncomfortable at what had just happened. “Of course,” Maryse smiled, but then turned her back, and started on the washing up. Magnus offered to help, but she shook her head. “Keep looking after the baby, won’t you? Max seems to like you a lot.”

Magnus didn’t argue. Instead, he took Max out into the living room as he was starting to fall asleep, and Alec listened as he heard Magnus humming to him. 

Maybe kissing Magnus in front of everyone hadn’t been the best choice, but he would have done it eventually. No one told him to get out, and no one stopped in their tracks just because Alec had kissed Magnus. Everyone just carried on, and Robert and Maryse still happily chatted to Magnus when they all went into the living room. 

When Magnus and Alec left, Maryse pulled Alec to the side, and hugged him. “I know it’s hard, honey,” She said, and Alec frowned. 

“Hard?” He asked. “What’s hard?”

“Being a single dad,” She cupped his cheek in her hand, and ran her thumb across his cheekbone. “I know you…you miss _her,_ but you and the boys are better off together.”

“And Magnus.”

Maryse sighed. “Yes, you…” She forced a smile, and then put her hand on his shoulder. “You never were a very experimental teenager, were you? You were with her for a very long time. Maybe you’re making up for that lost time now.”

Alec raised his eyebrow. “You mean this is all just my teenage and experimental phase in my late twenties?”

“No, honey, no,” Maryse shook her head. “No, I just mean that there will be another lady that comes along soon enough. I knew Rafael and Max’s mom wasn’t the right one for you. But you’ll find the right person for you. I know you will.”

“I have a person, and _she_ is a _he,_ ” Alec knew that his mom wasn’t homophobic, not really, but he hadn’t expected her to be this upset over him, even if she didn’t know how upset she really was. “I’m with Magnus.”

“He’s only young, Alec. I’m sure that even he is as confused as you are right now. He’s got a lot of his life ahead of him yet.”

“We’re not confused, mom,” Alec rubbed his forehead, becoming angry at Maryse. “Mom- _I’m in love with him._ ”

“Don’t fool yourself, Alec.”

“Mom, I’m in love with him,” Alec repeated, and Maryse’s facial features softened a little, hearing her sons plea. “I don’t know…if I’m gay, but I’m not straight. And I love him. Don’t tell me that I’ll meet someone else, because I don’t want to meet anyone else.”

Maryse smiled up at her son, and then leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Okay, honey. If you love him, then you love him. Make sure he knows that- he’s a lovely boy.”

Alec felt a little calmer now that his mom seemed to have accepted defeat, and hopefully accepted him. He hugged her goodbye, and then walked back to the hallway, where Magnus was standing, bouncing Max up and down. Jace was chasing after Rafael, and Rafael was giggling, making Magnus laugh too. 

Alec walked over to Magnus, and took Max off of him. “Ready to go?” He asked, and Magnus nodded, smiling softly up at him. 

Alec drove on the way home, but almost swerved off of the road when Magnus put his hand on his knee. 

“You scared me,” Alec laughed, keeping his eyes focused on the road. 

“Alec?” Magnus asked, sounding quite worried. 

Alec looked at Magnus for a spilt second. “What’s up, little one?”

“I love you too.”

Alec almost choked on his own spit. He didn’t realise that Magnus had heard what him and his mom had been saying. But obviously he had, and Alec didn’t really know how to respond. He was too shocked that Magnus actually loved him too.

Alec just gripped the steering wheel tighter, nodded, and muttered something under his breath.

“What?” Magnus asked. 

“I said, ‘that’s cool’.”

Magnus snorted. He leaned over and kissed Alec’s cheek. “I do. Of course I do. I love you, Alexander Lightwood. So much. Too much, sometimes.”

“Don’t be so cheesy, please,” Alec practically begged, but he couldn’t stop the smile that was spreading across his face. “I, uh, I love you. you knew that, but…yeah.”

At home, once the kids were asleep, Magnus straddled Alec on the couch, and kissed him. Alec lifted Magnus’ shirt over his head, and dropped it onto the floor. Alec pushed his tongue into Magnus’ mouth, tasting everywhere he could, his fingers gripping tightly onto Magnus’ hips. 

Alec didn’t want to let go, and with the way Magnus was kissing him, he assumed he’d never have to. His mom was right- Magnus was young, and he had a lot of his life ahead of him. He could easily go and find another guy or girl, and have his own life with them, but Alec felt assured that _this_ was what Magnus wanted. 

Magnus was grinding down onto him, and Alec had to bite Magnus’ neck to stop himself from moaning out loud. Magnus was smirking, which made Alec bite him harder, causing Magnus to slap a hand over his mouth to prevent any sound coming out. 

They kept on making out, and, eventually, Magnus was on his knees on the floor, Alec’s cock in his mouth, and Alec’s hand in his hair. It wasn’t an unusual thing for their nights to end like this, because Magnus was talented with his mouth and Alec was a sucker for a blowjob. 

Alec was also a sucker for Magnus’ eyes, especially when he was looking up at him from where was on the floor. This fuelled Alec’s fire even more, and he let out a string of curses as he came, Magnus working him through the orgasm. When he was done, Magnus leaned back on his heels, still staring at Alec, and swallowed. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, not taking his eyes off of Alec, and vice versa. 

“Fuck, babe,” Alec muttered, as Magnus stood up and helped Alec do his pants back up. “You’re so-”

“Great? Wonderful. Good at blowjobs. The best boyfriend ever. I know. But tell me again anyway.”

Alec laughed, and tugged Magnus back onto his lap. He kissed him hard, and then hugged him. He didn’t let go. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok, i think there will only be one more chapter of this! let me know what you guys think, and thank you for reading!


	4. ...When You Say You're Mine Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...and when you say you're mine forever,  
> I know it's in your arms that I will stay,   
> even if it just lasts for moments,  
> or for infinity and day.   
> My lungs do not work without you,   
> and I do not shine without your light.  
> I can't be anyone without you,  
> so stay forever in my life."  
> -anonymous

Alec, it was safe to say, had never been happier in his life than he was now. He hadn’t been happier when he’d graduated with straight A’s, he hadn’t been happier when he’d got the job working for renowned businessman, Valentine Morgenstern. Nothing made him happier than being with Magnus, Rafael and Max, knowing that this was his family, and that they’d never leave him. He had them for life. 

He lived for seeing Magnus with Rafael and Max, and being able to see how happy they were. He loved every moment he was with them, and when he wasn’t with them, he could not get them out of his mind. 

Magnus moved in at the end of October, as neither of them saw that there was any point in Magnus living anywhere else. Rafael and Max stayed with Izzy and Simon the day Magnus moved in, even though they were both adamant that they would be able to help. Alec was quite grateful that Izzy and Simon had offered to look after the boys, as it meant Alec and Magnus had the apartment to themselves for a couple of hours after all of Magnus’ stuff was put away. 

They made good use of the time. 

Though Magnus stayed over most of the time anyway, it was nice to be able to wake up and know that he wouldn’t have to go back home to get a change of clothes. He could wake up, go to work, and come back, and spend pretty much all of his time with Alec, Rafael and Max. 

The neighbourhood they lived in wasn’t the best one, so on Halloween, Maryse and Robert invited them over to go trick-or-treating near their house. Alec had tried to persuade Magnus to let him go in normal clothes, but Magnus had somehow forced him to sit down, and did his makeup. When he looked in the mirror, he was covered in shimmery makeup, and had a halo on his head. 

“Am I an angel?” Alec asked, and Magnus, who was wearing fake devil horns and black eye contacts. 

“Yes,” Magnus said, looking quite proud of himself. “And I’m a demon.”

“I think we should swap outfits,” Alec stared into the mirror a little longer, leaning closer to it to inspect his face. “I’m not an angel. And you’re most certainly not a demon.”

“Fine, you’re a half angel. And I’m half demon. Happy now?”

Alec knew he could not argue, and decided that wiping all the makeup off and hiding in the bathroom would not be a good idea. 

Max, unsurprisingly, was dressed up as a pirate, and, just so he could fight his brother, was dressed up as Peter Pan. Even though Max had tried to tell Rafael that he wasn’t Captain Hook- that was his least favourite pirate- Rafael was still determined to be Peter Pan, and there was no changing his mind. 

Simon was dressed up a vampire, his mouth covered in fake blood, and Izzy was dressed up as a cat. Alec had to take a moment to laugh when he saw them, as there was Izzy, in all her graceful beauty, and next to her was Simon, chomping away at his fake vampire teeth, looking like an absolute idiot. 

They had been appointed candy-servers of the Lightwood household, which made Alec wonder whether the kids would be more scared of Simon’s actual face or his makeup skills. 

They went out for a few hours, and got a lot of candy (Alec didn’t like candy too much, but Rafael, Max and Magnus all had sweet teeth so knew that one of them would be puking at some point that night). They went back to Alec’s parents house, said goodnight to Simon, Izzy, Maryse and Robert, and then returned home. 

Christmas was another exciting time. The year before, Alec hadn’t really been able to afford much for Rafael and Max, which meant that everyone else had to spoil them. But this year, with Magnus’ help, he was able to buy them loads, which made not only them happy, but him too. 

They spent the morning at home, opening presents and eating breakfast, with Magnus and Alec spending most of their time building and setting up toys, and Rafael and Max playing with them.

Early afternoon, they went over to Maryse and Robert’s house, where Clary and Jace already were, with Jocelyn and Luke. 

“Simon and Isabelle are coming over in a while,” Maryse said, as she took Max out of Magnus’ arms. “Everyone is in the living room. Jace was saying something wanting to prank Simon. I’m not sure if that’s a good idea but I’m sure it will be entertaining.”

When Simon and Izzy did arrive, there was no prank, but at dinner, Jace did start flicking peas at Simon, which annoyed him but entertained everyone else- even Clary, who was quite upset that her boyfriend was flicking peas at her best friend, but was laughing anyway. 

After dinner, it was present opening time, and Rafael and Max were the first to open their presents, happily throwing wrapping paper everywhere and messing up the living room- not that Maryse or Robert really minded, anyway. 

Halfway through everyone unwrapping their presents, the doorbell rang. “Who on earth could that be?” Maryse asked, her forehead crinkling at the fact that it was Christmas day, and still, someone was probably trying to sell them something. 

“I’ll answer it,” Alec said, as he stood up, ruffling Magnus’ hair as walked by, who was busy playing with Max, Rafe and Clary on the floor. 

Alec had no idea who he expected to be at the door, but when he answered it, it certainly wasn’t the person who was there. 

“Alec.” 

Alec couldn’t speak. He couldn’t think. In front of him, outside the door, holding a huge suitcase with what was presumably all of her stuff, stood his ex-wife. 

He started to close the door, desperate to shut her out like she done to him. But she stuck her foot in the door, her hand pushing the door open again. “Alec, baby, please-”

“Don’t call me baby,” His spat, his fists clenching at his sides. “Leave. Get out, right now.”

“You gotta listen to me, baby, please. I haven’t got anywhere to go. I need you, Alec. I need you more than ever.”

Alec could have laughed, right there and then. He didn’t though. “You fucking- no, don’t ask me for anything. Just get out.”

“Alec, what’s going on?”

Magnus walked into the hallway, and Alec turned around to see him, with Max in his arms. His ex-wife gasped, pushed her way past Alec, and snatched Max out of Magnus’ arms. Magnus, completely unsure of what was going on, let her, but when he saw how angry Alec was, he started to panic. 

“Get your hands off of him,” Alec growled, and took Max back out of her arms. 

Max was on the verge of crying, and the only remedy for that was Magnus. He’d been around in a circle, but Alec gave him back to Magnus, and Max stopped whimpering. 

“Get out,” Alec ordered her, and she shook her head, her dark brown hair shaking and falling out of her ponytail slightly. 

“I can’t Alec, I need to be here. I told you, I have nowhere to go. And I want to see my sons.”

Magnus started bouncing Max, who had started crying. Alec turned round, wondering if Max wanted his mom, but he was gripping tightly onto Magnus, scared by what was going on.

“They aren’t your sons anymore. You haven’t seen them in over a year. You’re no mother.”

“I can’t be apart from you anymore,” She looked like she was about to cry, but her sadness would not fool Alec. “I miss you, and I miss Rafael and Max. I want to come back home. I made a mistake divorcing you and leaving. I want to be with you again. I love you."

Alec shook his head at her. “I don’t love you. I haven’t for a long time.”

“Why? Alec, honey-”

“I’m with someone else now. There’s no space for you in my life anymore. I think you need to leave.”

His ex-wife looked from Alec, to Magnus, and then back again. Her facial expression went from sadness to disgust. “You- him? Alec, christ, I thought you’d be desperate when I left, but not that desperate.”

"I'm not desperate," Alec stood so he was in between his ex-wife and Magnus and Max. He saw that the door to the living room was closed, so no one could hear what was going on. "He's a better parent to Max and Rafael than you ever were. Don't tell me that I'm desperate when you come back here, over a year later, only when you have nowhere to go."

She laughed a little, entertained by what she considered a lie on Alec's behalf. "Alec, fine, give me Rafael and Max and I will leave."

"No," Magnus stepped in. He was holding on to Max tight, who was clinging onto his shirt. "I'm sorry, I don't know you, nor do I want to, but Alec is bringing Max and Rafe up on his own, without your help. You're not taking these kids away from him."

She pursed her lips. Alec had always thought that she looked like Rafe, with her dark brown hair and tan skin, but Rafe was beautiful, inside and out. She was nasty, and Alec did not want to see her.

"Fine. You explain it to them when their older, that their mom wanted to be with them but their dad practically forced her away," She was making up a story to make herself feel better, obviously. "They'll come looking for me when they're older. No child should be without their mother."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you left." Alec said. 

She left without attempting to see Rafe, which proved further to Alec how little she truly cared about them. 

When she left, Robert came to investigate what was going on, especially as they'd been out there a while, and if it was carol singers, they'd have left by now. "It's alright dad," Alec reassured him, and Robert, though quite unconvinced, followed them back into the living room.

That day was not the way Alec hoped Christmas would have gone. He wanted to curl up into the ball the second he got home. He didn't, though. He put up a front for Max and Rafael, but the moment they went to bed, he curled up into a ball in his own room.

Magnus came into the bedroom not long later. He slid down next to Alec, spooning him, pressing light kisses on the back of his neck. Alec sniffed, and then turned over so he could face Magnus.

"You're too tiny to be the little spoon," he said, which made Magnus laugh.

"And you're too upset to be making jokes about my stature," Magnus moved his hand from Alec's waist up to his cheek. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Alec closed his eyes, and buried his head into Magnus' chest. "I would quite like to forget she ever happened to me. The only good thing she ever did for me was Rafe and Max, but other than that, she's irrelevant.”

“Then there’s no need to be so upset about it then, is there?”

“But what if they want to see her when they’re older?” Alec sniffled, and Magnus lightly patted his head. “What if she makes them think I forced her out of our lives?”

“They won’t. They’ll see that you’ve brought them up, and they’ll see what a great dad you are. I don’t think they’ll ever believe a word that she says.”

“But what if-”

“Alec,” Magnus smiled down at him. “They won’t. Those boys love you. I love you. Now go to sleep, and don’t worry about it anymore.”

* * *

Christmas came and went, as did Alec’s ex-wife. She didn’t call him, she didn’t attempt any contact with his family, nor did she seem to exist any longer. She had disappeared off the face of the earth again, with the only remnants of her life and memories lingering with Alec, who slowly, and thankfully, forgot about her.

Over time, any upset that Maryse and Robert felt towards Alec’s relationship with Magnus disappeared. They treated him exactly like they treated Simon and Clary, and it made Alec happy to see how well he fit in. 

A few weeks after Max’s second birthday, Alec was called at work by Magnus, who was practically screaming down the phone, sounding way too happy for someone who was working.. 

“Hey hey hey,” Alec quickly ran out of the office, waving Simon away who looked worried. “What’s going on? Magnus, slow down, I can barely hear what you’re trying to say.”

Magnus took a long breath. “My boss has resigned.”

Alec was jogging down the stairs to go outside, but he stopped there on the step, frowning. “And that’s good because…”

“ _Alec,_ ” Alec could practically hear Magnus smile through the phone. “She wants me to take over. _Me!_ ”

Alec face practically split in half to how much he was smiling. “No way.”

“Yes way,” Magnus giggled, and Alec’s heart fluttered in his chest. “I can’t believe it. Out of all the people here, she chose _me._ She hasn’t told me why yet or what’s actually going to happen, but she just told me that she wanted me to take over, and I then I had to leave to call you. I couldn’t not tell you straight away.”

“Go back!” Alec laughed. “Go find out. I’ll meet you outside the daycare when I get off, alright? We can go out for dinner, us four. My treat?”

“No, _my treat_ ,” Magnus said. “Alec, my income’s gonna sky rocket. I could like…fix this place up, you know? It’s gonna be _mine._ ”

They said their goodbyes, and then Alec ran back up the stairs. He saw Simon, and ruffled his hair, which left Simon feeling confused, but he saw how happy Alec was, so didn’t question it. 

After that, it seemed their lives improved dramatically. Magnus took over the daycare (the boss had wanted to hand it on to her kids, but none of them were interested. So she knew how much Magnus actually loved the kids there, and knew how good a worker he was, and decided to hand it over to him), and not only did the amount of kids there double within the first few months, but the amount of money he was earning doubled too. 

Because of the amount of money he’d earned in such a short amount of time, Magnus and Alec were able to save up and eventually buy a house in the suburbs, close to Maryse and Robert. Though it was a longer trip for them to both get to work, it meant the Rafe and Max got their own rooms, and had a garden, and a better neighbourhood to grow up in. 

In early August, there was an addition to their family when Magnus _literally_ woke Alec up by throwing a cat in his face one morning. 

It was a tiny cat, which somehow fit perfectly on Alec’s head. It seemed to be making itself comfortable, despite the fact that he’d screamed, and had almost fallen off of the bed. 

“Surprise!” Magnus grinned, as Alec pried the cat off of his face, and glared over at his boyfriend, who was standing proudly by the door.

“What on _earth,_ Magnus? Why is there a cat on my head?”

“Why would there _not_ be a cat on your head?” Magnus asked, and Alec raised his eyebrow at him. Magnus rolled his eyes, and then sat down on the bed next to Alec, taking the cat out of his hands. “Okay, I found him outside this morning. He looked so sad…”

“He could have been someone else’s!”

“He’s not, I swear,” Magnus lifted the cat up to his face. It meowed, making Magnus laugh. “He had no collar on. And anyway, I showed him to Rafe and Max and they’ve already named him. Okay, fine, I’ve already named him, but they love him. So we’re keeping him.”

Magnus placed the cat on Alec’s chest. He seemed to like Alec’s face, as it tried to sit on him again, but Alec stopped it just in time. “What did you call him then?” Alec asked, holding the cat above his head. It was cute, Alec had to admit, but he’d always seen himself as a dog person, so didn’t actually know whether they’d be keeping it or not.

“Uhm…Chairman Meow?”

Alec snorted. “Chairman Mao? Magnus, are you kidding?”

“No! It’s cute, and it suits him. Rafe and Max agree with me.”

“I’m sure that Rafe and Max have no idea who the founding father of communist China is.”

“No, not Chairman _Mao_ ,” Magnus laid down next to Alec, and stroked the cats head. “Chairman _Meow._ Like, a cat meow. It’s a play on words.”

Alec cringed. “Christ, Magnus, that’s terrible. Leave. Get out. I have no time for you and your communist cat puns.”

Magnus laughed, and then took the cat back off of Alec. “I’ll take Max and Rafe to the pet store to get him a collar and food and other cat necessities. You coming?”

* * *

“Magnus!” 

Jace waved at Magnus, who was standing outside the jewlerry store, his arms folded across his chest. He smiled at Jace in reply, and in that moment, Jace could tell that Magnus was confused as to why he actually needed to be there. 

“Listen, thanks for coming-”

“Jace, I know you think I have a great sense of fashion, and you also think I have tiny lady fingers, but I can promise you that I have neither.”

Jace looked Magnus up and down- sure, Jace looked a lot more fashionable that Magnus right now, especially as Magnus was wearing Alec’s huge sweatpants and a hoodie with holes in it, and Magnus’ fingers were thin but most certainly not lady like- but he needed Magnus there, or the thing he needed to do could not happen. 

“You have to be here though,” Jace said. “You have Clary-sized fingers and you can help me make the right choice. So- please, Magnus. It won’t take long. I swear.”

Magnus rolled his eyes, but then followed Jace into the jewlerry store. It was one of those stores that if you came in in anything less than a ball gown, they’d give you filthy looks. Which was exactly why Magnus wanted to leave as soon as he walked in. 

Jace, who was wearing jeans and a leather jacket, did not care in the slightest, and Magnus assumed that he didn’t notice the way that the woman helping him find a ring for Clary was looking at him. 

The woman gave the ring to Magnus, who put it in, and frowned at it- the ring in it was too big and not to mention ugly. “I can assure you, Mr…”

“Herondale. Jace Herondale,” Jace smiled, and she pursed her lips. 

“Mr. Herondale. Your girlfriends hand will not be as big as your friends is.”

“Hey, my girlfriend has man-hands, don’t be rude.”

Magnus snorted, making Jace laugh as well. Clary certainly did not have man-hands, as Jace had put it, but it was funny seeing the way the assistant looked overly offended by anything that came out of Jace’s mouth. 

Magnus ended up picking out a ring that he loved, just so he could try it on. It fit, but he knew that Clary wouldn’t like it, so put it back on the table, trying on another ring to entertain Jace. 

By the end, he’d tried on over twenty rings, but he was considering buying the ring he’d fallen in love with. Even if it was an engagement ring.

“What’s your favourite?” Jace asked him, and Magnus pointed to the ring that he loved. 

“I love it. I kind of want it…but I don’t think that Clary would like it.”

“I think she would,” Jace said, and then handed Magnus’ favourite ring over to the woman, who made every effort not to make any contact with Jace at all. “I’ll take it.”

“Jace-”

“Trust me, Magnus,” Jace offered Magnus a smile. “She’ll love it.”

* * *

Alec had absolutely no idea if the idea would work, which was why he was panicking so much. He was pacing up and down in his living room, walking in front of the TV even though Max and Rafe were trying to watch. 

“Dad,” Rafe threw a piece of popcorn at Alec, making Max laugh. “We’re trying to watch the TV.”

“Sorry Rafe,” Alec looked at his son, looking guilty, and then sat down next to Max. Max reached over to take a piece of popcorn out of the bowl, which apparently offended Rafe, making him snatch the bowl away from his brother…and then dropping the popcorn all over the floor. 

“Oh, _guys,_ ” Alec muttered, quickly jumping up and starting to pick all the popcorn back up. Rafe got onto the floor to help his dad, but then tried to eat the popcorn. “Rafe, honestly.”

Rafe looked at his dad innocently, making Alec laugh a little. He made Rafe sit back on the sofa, as he swept the popcorn up with his hands, putting it back into the bowl so he could throw it away later. 

Timing had never really been on Alec’s side, as, when he was halfway through sweeping the popcorn up, the doorbell went. Alec groaned, and then picked Rafe and Max up. “That’ll be Grandma and Grandpa,” He said, and they cheered.

“Why they here?” Max asked, and then his eyes lit up. “Party time?”

“No, not party time,” Alec took them out to the front door, and handed Rafe and Max their tiny backpacks. “You guys are staying over at their house tonight. Dad's gotta do something important.”

“Ooh!” Rafe grinned, as Alec opened the door. Maryse was standing there, alongside Izzy, who was holding an entire box of candles in one hand, and several bunches of roses in the other. Rafe ran out, hugging Maryse and then holding her hand. Max toddled out after him, trying to walk past Maryse, but not getting very far. 

“Here are your million candles,” Izzy said, as she handed the candles over. “And your trillion roses.”

“Thanks Iz,” Alec smiled at her, his arms full. 

“Good luck hon,” Maryse smiled at him, and then, a few moments later, he was in the house on his own.

* * *

Alec wasted absolutely no time- he spread the candles out throughout the house, and then started taking all of the petals off of the roses. It took him what seemed like ages- he had to keep on stopping to reply to Jace’s text messages, and to also light all of the candles, and also to answer the door to Simon who delivered the tiny box that was the most important part of the plan- but by the time that Jace texted him to say that he was dropping Magnus back home, Alec was finished.

He quickly ran into the living room after he’d changed out of his normal clothes into a white t-shirt and black suit pants. He sat down on the sofa, and didn’t even notice that he was holding his breath until he heard the door unlocking, and attempted to hold his breath again, but just going lightheaded, and having to breath. 

All of the lights in the house were off, which explained why Magnus squeaked when he walked in. “Alec?” He called out, obviously becoming quite nervous. 

Alec wanted to call back to him, but that wasn’t part of the plan. He stood up, standing in the middle of the living room, hopefully illuminated by the candles, and enough that Magnus could see him when he walked in. 

He heard Magnus take off his coat and drop the keys into the bowl by the door. Then he heard him slowly walk towards the living room, where he frowned when he saw Alec. 

“Alec?” Magnus said again, and walked over to him. Alec grabbed his hands the moment he was close enough, and squeezed tightly. There was a moment where Magnus had no expression on his face, but the moment Alec opened his mouth to say something, Magnus’ face changed from nothing to complete confusion. 

“Magnus,” Alec started. He’d planned and rehearsed exactly what he was going to say, but for a couple of moments, he could not remember any of it. And then, he realised, it wasn’t just for a few moments- he completely forgot, and he looked like a fish on land, gulping for air. He coughed, and then looked down at his and Magnus’ hands. “Magnus, listen. I- you- _shit-_ ”

Magnus started to laugh. He squeezed Alec’s hands, and then cupped Alec’s face. “Hey, you don’t have to say a big speech.”

“No, but I want to,” Alec took a deep breath, and then started again. “Magnus, look- okay, obviously when I met you I didn’t really know we were gonna end up where we are now. I kind of thought you were really cute and good with Rafe and Max- and that you were really nice- but you were a really good friend to me.

And then I started seeing you as more than a friend, even though, I was sure I was straight. That was scary, because I’d never properly been in love with anyone before, and definitely not been in love with someone who was a guy. 

When we did actually start to, you know, _date_ , I could hardly believe it, because here was some guy who was good with my kids and good with me and just too good in general. I had no idea why you wanted me, but you did, and God knows how grateful I am to how you. 

I think you’ve seen me grown, and I’ve certainly seen you grown- not height wise, mind you- and I couldn’t have grown with a better person than with you. 

I love you, and I’m sure we were gonna spend the rest of our lives together anyway, but I wanted to ask you this and give you something just to signify that.”

Alec took the ring out of his pocket, and got down on one knee. Magnus was laughing, but there were tears in his eyes. “So…will you marry me?”

Magnus nodded, unable to form any intelligible words at the moment. Alec grinned, and slid the ring onto Magnus’ finger. 

He stood up, and finally, he was able to breath. Magnus kissed him, and Alec gripped him tightly. 

They stayed like that for a while; hugging each other, letting no space come between them. Then Magnus moved away, and, in all seriousness, said, “I would like to let you know in advance that Chairman Meow will be my best man.”

Alec knew then that life was most definitely not a circle, nor was it a decagon-cle, but instead a line with bumps and curves in the road that had somehow lead him to Magnus, the weirdest and most wonderful person that he’d ever met. 

He couldn’t have been happier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaannd that's it! the end of my second malec fanfic. i'd hoped to make the fanfic up to 20000 words but i feel like it ended with just enough in it. 
> 
> i hope you enjoyed that one. it included my first sex scene (which was actually really scary posting and i was worrying that people would hate it!), and also my first fanfic that has canon!bottom!magnus. i hope to write more fanfics in the future with that magnus, because lord knows i'm a sucker for the height difference between harry shum jr and matt daddario. 
> 
> i'm not quite sure what i shall be writing next. in the next few months i'll be taking my finals so excuse me if i'm not as frequent with the updates from now onwards. also, my depression is hitting me hard right now because of the stresses of life so i'm finding it more difficult to write than usual.
> 
> thank you guys for being patient with me for this one. i think it's taken me a little under/over a week to write (which, for me is slow, as i can, if i write for about 6 hours in a day, write over 10,000 words), and i've really loved this. make sure to leave comments, kudos, and subscribe. if you're a common wattpad user, then i will be uploading war of hearts and i'll let it happen over there (on the user @malechunters), so follow me on there as well!
> 
> thank you!


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